HAVE YOU TRULY HEARD THE COMMAND TO SEEK – CALL – RETURN? – At the Foot of the Covenant Ministries

Shalom all,

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek יהוה while He is to be found, call on Him while He is near. 7 Let the wrong forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to יהוה, who has compassion on him, and to our Elohim, for He pardons much.”

In this passage from Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55 we see another clear call being given to Yisra’ĕl to seek יהוה while He is to be found. This call to seek יהוה is written in the Hebrew as follows: יהוה דִּרְשׁוּ – dirshu YAHWEH and is clearly written here as a command to all Yisra’ĕl to seek יהוה as it is written in the ‘qal, imperative, second person, plural’ verb tense which is expressive of a command being given to all Yisra’ĕl and could be expressed as: ‘You (plural) seek יהוה!

I love to study the Word and echo what Dawiḏ says in:

Tehillah/Psalm 119:97 “O how I love Your Torah! It is my study all day long.”

I love to study the Word and in doing so, I love doing ‘word studies’ in order to grow in understanding and wisdom of the Word. Some may find my word studies and teaching method ‘too deep’ and ‘too long’ and may even say that I ‘go too far’ in terms of various words and their roots. While this may be the view of some, I simply express my love for digging deeper into the Hebrew and Greek texts in order to get a better understanding of the relevant context of verses and passages that have sadly been misinterpreted and twisted to suite a doctrine of lawlessness, and therefore in my presentation of various word studies within the teachings I present, I simply state that if my digging into key words and their roots, along with various pictographic rendering of words, can cause the hearer (or reader) to draw closer to our Master and Elohim and grow in the knowledge of Him and His Word and cause them to become mature in set-apartness, then the deeper digging is certainly worth it!

Having said that, in this message that is called: ‘HAVE YOU TRULY HEARD THE COMMAND TO SEEK – CALL – RETURN?’, I will be digging deeper, as I usually do, into various key Hebrew and Greek words, in order to present a call for a sober assessment of each of our lives, by looking intently into the mirror of the Word, that ought to cause each of us to determine if we are seeking and calling upon Elohim as a true faithful ambassador and taught one of Messiah should!

This call given here in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:6 to seek יהוה is written in the Hebrew as follows: דִּרְשׁוּ יהוה – dirshu YAHWEH – This phrase is written in this specific way 3 times in Scripture.

The other two verses where we see this same constructed phrase being used, is in:

Tehillah/Psalm 105:4 “Seek יהוה and His strength; seek His face always.”

Diḇre haYamim Aleph/1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek יהוה and His strength, seek His face continually!”

Both of these verses are the recorded words of the psalm that Dawiḏ gave thanks to יהוה with by the hand of Asaph and his brothers, in the day that the Ark of יהוה had been brought back and set it in the midst of the Tent that Dawiḏ had pitched for it! During the days of Eli the high priest the Ark of יהוה had been captured by the Philistines and set up in their pagan temple next to their statue of their false mighty one Dagon. The Hand of יהוה was heavy upon the Philistines and He wasted them and smote them with tumours. They then sent the Ark of יהוה back to Yisra’ĕl.

You can read of these events in Shemuʼěl Aleph/1 Samuel 5-7.

The Ark of יהוה went to Bĕyth Shemesh and then to Qiryath Yeʽarim where it was in the house of Aḇinaḏaḇ for 20 years.

In Shemuʼěl Bět/2 Samuel 6 we read of how King Dawiḏ went down to Aḇinaḏaḇ’s house and brought the Ark back, yet they carried the ark on a wagon instead of the priests carrying it on their shoulders, as commanded, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Ark of Elohim when the oxen had stumbled and Elohim struck him there and he died. After what had happened to Uzzah, Dawiḏ was afraid and the ark ended up being set aside in Oḇĕḏ-Eḏom’s house for 3 months. After hearing reports of how the house Oḇĕḏ-Eḏom had been blessed, Dawiḏ went back and brought the Ark of Elohim back to the tent which he had prepared.

Why I am sharing this brief history with you is simply because it is extremely vital for us to understand and recognise the presence of יהוה and how important that is for us to embrace and maintain, so that we do not find ourselves in a position where His esteem has departed. By the Ark of Elohim being captured away by the Philistines, it pictures for us the presence and esteem of יהוה being taken from Yisra’ĕl, as the ark represented His very presence and where He dwelt.

With the Ark now being placed in the tent that Dawiḏ had pitched for it we can understand the power of the words of the command given in this song to ‘seek יהוה’ and with that, to seek His strength and His face always! The second Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘seek’, in the words of this song of Dawiḏ, as in the call to ‘seek His face’, comes from the root word בָּקַשׁ baqash – Strong’s H1245 which means, ‘to seek, aim, search, look, inquire’, and here it is written in the ‘piel’ form which expresses an ‘intensive or intentional action’ and could therefore be expressed as, ‘seek earnestly or seek the face, seek to find, demand, desire, ask’, and this kind of ‘seeking’ is an intense seeking with a purpose!

Why I am highlighting these words is to show how this call that was given to Yisra’ĕl to seek יהוה was not a call to seek Him because He was lost or was not around, but rather because His presence was now near and therefore was to be found! This seeking entails an intense seeking with attention and purpose to live set-apart before the face of Elohim, so that His presence and esteem would not depart as it had done, some 20 years before!

We are therefore able to recognise the call given in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:6-7 and how important it is for us to respond correctly!

Along with the clear command for all to seek יהוה we also see the command to call on Him while He is near and return to יהוה. In these 2 verses we see the following being clearly commended:

SEEK – CALL – RETURN!

Let us look a little more closely at these 3 Hebrew root words for ‘SEEK – CALL – RETURN’ in order to properly assess our individual response to this command given to all Yisra’ĕl!

The Hebrew root word used here in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:6 for ‘seek’ is דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 which means, ‘to resort to, seek out, ask, avenge, consult, investigate, search carefully, make inquiry, question’.

Now when we are able to properly recognise that this word carries more than just simply take a quick peek, but rather that it emphasises the need to be digging deeper in seeking out carefully that which is to be found and that it is done so with great diligence, through continual consultation, and asking. This can only be done when יהוה is to be found!

Seeking Him while He is to be found implies that there will be a time when the window (or door) of being able to find Him will be closed, just as it was when He closed the door of the ark after Noaḥ and his family entered in and was saved from the flood, while those who refused to seek יהוה and His righteousness, which Noaḥ proclaimed for 120 years, were completely destroyed!!! Our Master and Elohim, יהושע Messiah, came in the flesh to redeem us from lawlessness and cause us to be able to seek Him and call upon Him, so that we may be saved! This seeking and calling entails a proper returning to doing what is right in the eyes of Elohim and therefore entails a proper guarding of His commands and delighting ourselves in his Torah, which we are to meditate upon and guard to do as we seek Him with our all!

We cannot sit around saying, “Oh I’ll get to it sometime soon!” That may be too late. All too often most are seeking their own ways and desires and are trying to accomplish their own selfish goals before attending to the critical need of making יהוה and His Word the core essential priority of their lives.

יהושע tells us not to worry about tomorrow and not to worry about what we will eat, what we will drink or what we will wear, for that is what the pagans run after. We are to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to us as well!

Mattithyahu/Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these matters shall be added to you.”

Hunger and thirst for righteousness and we will be filled!!!

Mattithyahu/Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they shall be filled.”

When we are told to ‘seek’ first the Kingdom, we must recognise that this is not an instruction that gives the notion that you simply just take a quick look at it and now that you have seen it you can go on your merry way – NO!

To seek His Kingdom requires hard work and discipline each and every day.

We are also clearly instructed to ‘seek’ יהוה and His strength. We need to properly ‘seek’ Him and this implies a diligent continual inquiry after knowledge, advice, and insight into any situation or circumstance we find ourselves in.

A Modern Hebrew word that is derived from דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 is the word מִדְרָשׁ miḏrash – Strong’s H4097 which means, ‘a study, record, writings or story, commentary’. A ‘miḏrash’ speaks of the ability to search out something and it often refers to that which is written to teach, and this later became known as a Hebrew word that relates to the in-depth study of the Word of Elohim, which is often done together in a group or assembly setting. The point is that we are to be a people who are earnestly growing in wisdom and understanding of the Scriptures so we can remember what we look like when we look intently into the mirror of His Word!

Most people today are not ‘seeking’ in the sense of what these two words word actually entail (דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 and בָּקַשׁ baqash – Strong’s H1245); and remember this instruction to seek is to given ALL! After all if we seek we shall find! Who does not want to learn more and more about our Creator, Redeemer and King? Fools!!!

The Hebrew word דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 can also carry the understanding of seeking out and learning information that was not previously known and in terms of seeking יהוה it also implies having a relationship with יהוה, the One who is being sought out as we seek to know Him and grow in the knowledge of our Elohim and Saviour!

By that I mean that the information that is sought out is done so through proper requests and petitions and the information sought out is then carefully pondered upon and thought about, with a focus to think seriously and long about its meaning and ramifications that are expressed. In other words, this kind of seeking can only be done with the proper attention and concentration that is required to grasp and meditate on, in order to apply what is sought after and learnt!

This word דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 is a verb that expresses an action of a careful attention and due diligence that is required in order to gain the knowledge that is sought after.

While we take note that בָּקַשׁ baqash – Strong’s H1245 and דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 are synonyms of each other we also recognise that there is a difference between the two. Yes, they both mean ‘seek, inquire, consult, search out’, yet as we have noted, these two actions gives us a better understanding of what true seeking of Elohim and His Righteousness entails, as we recognise that we are called to dwell continually in the Word and in the process of doing this we are called to earnestly study and learn, in order to grow!

בָּקַשׁ baqash – Strong’s H1245 implies the eagerness and desire while דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 suggests care and intentionality in the process of looking for something. Tehillah/Psalm 105:4 could be paraphrased as follows:

“Carefully search for יהוה and His strength; continually and eagerly seek His face.”

Ěḵah/Lamentations 3:25 “יהוה is good to those waiting for Him, to the being who seeks Him.”

We are to be seeking His face always:

Tehillah/Psalm 27:8 “To my heart You have said, “Seek My face.” Your face, יהוה, I seek.”

When we look at the two Hebrew root words that I have mentioned here for ‘seek’ in the ancient pictographic script we are also able to see ‘words in picture’ that give us a clarified understanding of what true seeking of יהוה and His face entails.

In the ancient pictographic script the Hebrew word בָּקַשׁ baqash – Strong’s H1245 which means, ‘to seek, aim, search, look, inquire’, looks like this:

Beyt – בָּ:

In the ancient script this letter is pictured as , pictured as a ‘tent floor plan’, and means, ‘house’ or ‘tent’. It represents ‘family’ and the importance of those who are inside the tent as opposed to the tent structure itself. We, as living stones are built up in the Master, and are the Dwelling Place of Elohim.

Quph – קַ:

In the ancient script this letter is pictured as , a ‘horizon’ and depicts the elements of ‘time’, as it pictures the sun in its rising and setting. It therefore carries the meaning of ‘circle’ or ‘to go around’, representing for us both, appointed cycles or times as well as eternity. This can very well picture for us ‘consistency’ in guarding the commands without compromise, as we do not neglect to adhere to the commands of the House!

Shin – שׁ:

This is the letter ‘shin’ which in the ancient script is pictured as, , which is ‘two front teeth’ and carries the meaning of ‘sharp or press, chew or devour’; which is what the teeth do, and also speaks of the sharpened word that comes forth from the mouth as the teeth ‘chew’ or ‘meditate’ on the Truth, making what comes forth pure and sharp! It also carries the understanding of consuming or destroying – as teeth do to food.

Looking at these pictographic letters that make up the root word בָּקַשׁ baqash we can, in terms of seeking the face of יהוה, recognise that the way we are able to properly be seeking His face always is to:

CONTINUALLY MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF THE HOUSE

Tehillah/Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who shall not walk in the counsel of the wrong, and shall not stand in the path of sinners, and shall not sit in the seat of scoffers, 2 but his delight is in the Torah of יהוה, and he meditates in His Torah day and night.”

In the ancient pictographic script the Hebrew word דָּרַשׁ darash – Strong’s H1875 which means, ‘to resort to, seek out, ask, avenge, consult, investigate, search carefully, make inquiry, question’, looks like this:

Dalet – דָּ:

In the ancient script this letter is pictured as , which is a ‘tent door’. It can also have the meaning of a back and forth movement, as one goes back and forth through a tent door and so speaks of an access point. It can also carry the meaning of ‘dangle’ or hanging as the tent door would hang from the roof pole of the tent. It speaks a great deal in terms of understanding the door of the tent of appointment as the only means of access. We also recognise that יהושע Messiah is The Door, and whoever enters through Him, shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and find pasture.

The commands are also commanded to be put on our doorposts as a continual reminder that we are to guard His commands, as we go out and come in, submitting under the authority of The Door, through which we have been given access to being built up as a spiritual House for Elohim.

Resh – רַ:

The ancient script has this letter pictured as , which is ‘the head of a man’ and carries the meaning of ‘top, beginning, first, chief’, as in being the top of the body or the head of a tribe and the one who rules; and also speaks of possession or inheritance that is decided by the chief. Our true life of praise unto יהוה, our Head, begins when we fear Him, for He is the beginning of our strength, and true separated praise entails a true fear of the One who is Chief over us!

Shin – שׁ:

Looking at these pictographic letters that make up the root word דָּרַשׁ darash we can, in terms of the command to seek יהוה and His strength, recognise that we are to come to The Door of the Head and ‘eat’ the Word, so to speak!

At THE DOOR OF THE HEAD IS THE WORD!

When we gather together as commanded, on the Sabbaths and Appointed Times of Elohim then we are able to come and delight ourselves in Him as we meditate on His Word and Submit to our Head, which is Messiah, guarding to do all He has commanded us to, knowing that our coming in and going out shall be in peace!

Those who are not coming to The Head at The Door of Appointment are not truly seeking The Word! Those who neglect to guard the Sabbaths and Feasts of יהוה are not seeking Him as they should and therefore have not properly heard the command to speak. Hearing they hear but do not understand!

Have you truly heard the command to seek and fully understand! He who has ears let Him hear what the Spirit says!

Ok, now that we have dug a little deeper in to what true seeking entails, let us take a look at what is further commanded along with the need to seek יהוה. We are to seek Him while he is to be found! The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘found’ comes from the root verb מָצָא matsa – Strong’s H4672 – ‘to attain, find, locate, discover’. Here are a couple of verses where this word is found:

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 3:13 “Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the man who gets understanding.”

In speaking of the Words and instructions of our Father:

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 4:22 “For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”

With the concept of being able to find something reveals that it needs to be sought after, not that it is lost but that it needs to be discovered and learnt. While in many ways the Word was lost to us while being right in front of us, we thank יהוה for opening our eyes that we may seek and find!

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 7:15 “Therefore I came out to meet you, to earnestly seek your face, and I found you.”

How earnestly are you seeking יהוה? How many times do you find yourself in a state of running around like a chicken without a head or going in circles over an issue or situation and do not know what to do? How earnest is your seeking יהוה and His Righteousness?

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who earnestly seek me do find me.”

He loves those who love Him – and a major part of loving Him is ‘seeking’ Him; because to love Him is to do what He has instructed us to, so how will we know how to love Him if we do not seek out what His instructions are???

Along with the call to seek יהוה we are told to ‘call on Him while He is near’.

The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘call’ is the root word קָרָא qara – Strong’s H7121 which means, ‘proclaim, call, read, summons, invite, to be called out’ and a derivative of this root verb is the Hebrew word that used for ‘gathering’ which is: מִקְרָא miqra – Strong’s H4744, meaning: ‘assembly/ group/ convocation/ a collective of people gathered for a purpose/a calling together’.

The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘near’ is קָרוֹב qaroḇ – Strong’s H7138 which means, ‘near, about, close relative, kinsmen, who is near’ and this comes from the root verb קָרַב qaraḇ – Strong’s H7126 which means ‘to come near, approach, appear, bring near, come forward, draw near’, which is often translated as ‘draw near’ and it is primarily a sacrificial word that signifies the presenting of a sacrifice or offering unto יהוה; and it is from this root verb that we get the Hebrew word for ‘offering’, which is קָרְבָּן qorban – Strong’s H7133. Therefore we are able to see that to call on יהוה while He is near further emphasises our need to gather at the Appointed Times and Sabbaths of יהוה, for when we are faithfully obedient in drawing near to Elohim as commanded then we have the firm assurance that when we do call out to Him, He will hear our voice!

Tehillah/Psalm 145:18-19 “יהוה is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He does the desire of those who fear Him; and He hears their cry and saves them.”

We know from Scripture that all who ‘call upon the Name of יהוה’ shall be delivered (Yo’ĕl/Joel 2:32)

Sha’ul quoted these words of the prophet his letter to the believers in Rome:

Romiyim/Romans 10:13 “For “everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה shall be saved.”

The Greek word that is used here for ‘calls on’ is ἐπικαλέω epikaleō – Strong’s G1941 which means, ‘call upon, address, appeal’, which comes from the two words: 1) ἐπί epi – Strong’s G1909 which is a preposition that can render the meaning, ‘upon, on, about, over’ and 2) καλέω kaleō Strong’s G2564 which means, ‘call, to call, called out, invited, summoned’. It is from the root word καλέω kaleō Strong’s G2564 that we get the Greek word ἐκκλησία ekklēsia – Strong’s G1577 which means ‘assembly or congregation’, coming from the words ἐκ ek Strong’s G1537 which means ‘from, from out of, belonging’ and καλέω kaleō Strong’s G2564.

The reason for me making mention of these Hebrew and Greek words for call, along with their associated roots, is to highlights the fact that we are able to see from both the Hebrew and the Greek how the true ability that one has in calling upon יהוה while He is near can only be properly done when the one who is calling upon יהוה is gathering as commanded and setting apart the Sabbaths and Appointed Times of Elohim!

There are many today who are ‘calling on the Name of יהוה’ according to their own standards and are not walking according to His Torah and are not guarding to keep His Sabbaths and Feasts! The sad and sobering reality is that the result of anyone who is calling upon יהוה in this way shall not be heard and shall not be known!

Tehillah/Psalm 50:16-17 “But to the wrong Elohim said, “What right have you to recite My laws, or take My covenant in your mouth, 17 “While you hated instruction and cast My Words behind you?”

Many may ‘recite’ the 10 Commandments and even recite many passages from Scripture while they have clearly cast the Word of Elohim behind them by claiming that it is no longer valid! These are the wrong who are not calling upon Him in the right way!

Mattithyahu/Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. 22 “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ 23 “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’”

To call on יהוה in the correct manner entails a proper seeking of Him and in understanding these words we take note that without the proper guarding of His Sabbaths and Feasts, no true seeking of, and calling upon, יהוה can be done!

To be properly seeking יהוה involves the disciplined ability to forsake that which is of no value. Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:7 says it clearly: “let the wrong forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts!”

The thoughts and ways of יהוה are higher than ours and we would do well to learn this very quickly, as we often find that many tend to think that their own ways are better! We are able to see from Scripture the clear examples that have been given to us of how chaotic it was in Yisra’ĕl when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and sadly this is what we find happening, in many ways, today; as everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes and are unable or unwilling to properly submit to the clear order and functional design of יהוה and all that which He has appointed to equip His body!

Sha’ul tells us in his letter to the believers in Colossae that whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we must do in the Name of יהושע Messiah (Qolasim/Colossians 3:17)! That means that we must guard our thought life too!!!

The Hebrew root word used here for ‘the wrong’ is רָשָׁע rasha – Strong’s H7563 which means, ‘wicked, criminal, evil, offender’. רָשָׁע rasha is frequently placed in Scripture, especially in Mishlĕ/Proverbs, as being in direct and unequivocal opposition to צַדִּיק tsaddiq –Strong’s H6662 which means, ‘just, righteous, blameless, lawful’, which is used here for ‘the righteous’.

It is from this contrast that we are able to get the clearest profile of the רָשָׁע rasha – Strong’s H7563 (wicked) kind of people! The book of Mishlĕ/Proverbs contains a great deal of antithetical parallelism, which contrasts the רָשָׁע rasha and the צַדִּיק tsaddiq in black and white terms. The focus is on both the quality of lifestyle and the results of these two ways of living. Whereas the wicked forsake יהוה, the righteous cling to him. Though the wicked are oppressive and dishonest, the righteous are upright and lovers of truth, etc. Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 28 clearly deals with the blessings for the righteous (verses 2-14) and the curses for the wrong (verses 15-68)!

The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘unrighteous’ is אָוֶן aven – Strong’s H205 which means, ‘iniquity, trouble, wicked, sorrow’.

The call that is given here is for the wrong to leave behind and abandon their own ways and thoughts.

In the days of Noaḥ man’s thoughts were wicked, and this is what we read in:

Berěshith/Genesis 6:5 “And יהוה saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Messiah clearly warned us that the last days will be as the days of Noaḥ, and we are certainly able to see how the inclinations of the thoughts of most are only evil continually!

The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘thoughts’ comes from the root word מַחֲשֶׁבֶת maḥasheḇeth – Strong’s H4284 which means, ‘thoughts, devise, scheme, plan, purpose’.

A heart without the Torah will continue to plot, scheme, and devise wicked ways and plans, that seek to excuse away the need to obey the Torah – and this is an abomination to יהוה. Instead of simply obeying the Torah of Elohim and meditating on His Word day and night, the lawless continue to come up with reasons as to why they think that they do not have to submit and obey, and in doing so they plot and scheme various man-driven systems that have people meditating on lawlessness or a false grace rather than meditating on the Truth!

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 4:14 “O Yerushalayim, wash your heart from evil, and be saved. Till when would your wicked thoughts remain within you?”

Have you ever found yourself devising wicked schemes in your heart? By that I mean, have you ever found yourself trying to find a way to get yourself out of that which you know you should do?

Perhaps you have devised a scheme in your heart to get you from keeping Sabbath as you should, or from keeping the Feast as you should, or from keeping any part of His Torah as you should? Schemes that you devise and justify in your heart, only to find out that your heart has been deceitful when mirrored against the truth? Wash your heart from evil and let not wicked scheming remain in you, for it is an abomination to יהוה!

SEEK יהוה and CALL on Him! To do this correctly one has to forsake all that is wrong, both in thought and deed. Now for many this may be extremely tough as they often do not know how to do this; and here in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55:7 we are given the answer to the ‘how’ question that many wrestle with! Here in this verse is says: ‘let him return to יהוה’!

The Master יהוה continually called Yisra’ĕl to return, yet they continually turned a deaf ear and did their own thing and He made it clear to Yisra’ĕl in:

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 30:15 “For thus said the Master יהוה, the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, “In returning and rest you are saved, in stillness and trust is your strength.” But you would not,”

While Yisra’ĕl would not return we certainly see the clear message given here:

In returning and rest you are saved and in stillness and trust is your strength!

The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘return’ is וְיָשֹׁב – veyashoḇ which comes from the root word שׁוּב shuḇ – Strong’s H7725 which means, ‘to turn back, return, repent, recover’, meaning to turn away from sin and turn back to Elohim and follow in His ways. When we truly repent and turn back to יהוה we will ‘obey’ His Word, which is the same as to ‘hear and do’ His Word, as we intelligibly hear His clear voice – which is always in accordance to His Torah, and guard to do all that He commands us.

In the ancient pictographic script the Hebrew word שׁוּב shuḇ – Strong’s H7725 which means, ‘to turn back, return, repent, recover’ looks like this:

Shin – שׁ:

This is the letter ‘shin’ which in the ancient script is pictured as, , which is ‘two front teeth’ and carries the meaning of ‘sharp or press, chew or devour’; which is what the teeth do, and also speaks of the sharpened word that comes forth from the mouth, as the teeth ‘chew’ or ‘meditate’ on the Truth, making what comes forth pure and sharp! It also carries the understanding of consuming or destroying – as teeth do to food.

Waw/Vav – וּ:

This is the Hebrew letter ‘waw’ or ‘vav’ which in the ancient script is pictured as , which is a peg or ‘tent peg’, which was used for securing or tying down of the tent or other items. The possibility of it having a Y-shape is to show that it prevents the rope from slipping off. The root meaning of this letter is ‘to add, secure or hook’.

Beyt – ב:

The ancient script has this letter as , which pictures a tent floor plan and means, ‘house’ or ‘tent’. It represents family and the importance of those who are inside the tent as opposed to the tent structure itself.

When we understand the combination of these pictures as rendering a returning to יהוה, we are able to recognise that the teeth, which speaks of a ‘pressing’, and the picture of the peg that secures, and the house which speaks of dwelling, we are able to understand this representing the following:

THE SECURE DWELLING PLACE THAT IS TO BE RETURNED TO.

This word in the ancient form represents for us a:

RETURNING TO THE SECURE HOUSE WHERE WE ARE FED, AS WE MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF THE HOUSE.

In a clear and wise call to return being given to a people who had backslidden and strayed from following יהוה, Shelomoh

Says, in:

Diḇre haYamim Bět/2 Chronicles 30:9 “For if you turn back to יהוה, your brothers and your children shall be shown compassion by their captors, even to return to this land. For יהוה your Elohim shows favour and compassion, and does not turn His face from you if you turn back to Him.”

The book of Hoshěa/Hosea is a very clear example of the intense love that יהוה has for His wandering people that He urgently calls back to obedience by sending His prophets to call them back to His Torah! He makes it very clear, especially through Hoshěa, that a lack of true repentance will bring about their total destruction, while their correct response to obedient submission, in returning to Him and walking in His Torah and commands, would bring about the sure and promised deliverance. As we consider the powerful words of יהוה given through this prophet we can certainly see that the message is very clear – Come back to יהוה and know Him, or die for lack of knowledge!!!

In Hoshěa we are able to see the description of those who are ‘calling’ on Elohim, yet not as they should:

Hoshěa/Hosea 11:7 “My people are bent towards backsliding from Me. Though they call to the One above, none of them exalt Him.”

Another translation writes this verse as follows:

“Moreover, My people are sticking to their turning away from Me. Though they call out to the Elohim on high, all of them alike fail to lift Him up.”

True seeking and calling can only be done when a true returning takes place, which can only take place when wrong ways and thoughts have been properly forsaken!!!

Those who return to יהוה find compassion and the Hebrew word that is translated as ‘compassion’ comes from the root word רַחַם raḥam – Strong’s H7355 which means, ‘compassion, tender love, deep mercy’, and at its root it refers to a deep love (usually of a superior for an inferior) which is rooted in a natural bond.

Tehillah/Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion for his children, so יהוה has compassion for those who fear Him.”

So many fail to return and find compassion simply because they do not fear יהוה, because if they did then they would quickly forsake their wrong ways and thoughts and return to the One we are to seek and call upon while He is to be found and is near!

The words in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 55 are very clear in the call to return to the One who shows compassion and pardons much!

Many often think that their wrong ways are too wrong for יהוה to pardon or forgive and sadly are in error for thinking this. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘pardon’ comes from the root word סָלַח salaḥ – Strong’s H5545 which means, ‘to forgive, pardon, spare’ and we see this word being translated as ‘forgives’ in:

Tehillah/Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless יהוה, O my being, and all that is within me, bless His set-apart Name! 2 Bless יהוה, O my being, and do not forget all His dealings, 3 who forgives all your crookednesses, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with kindness and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desire with the good, your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Hebrew word translated as ‘crookednesses’ is עָוֹן avon – Strong’s H5771 meaning, ‘iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity, blame, perversity, depravity’, which comes from the root verb עָוָה avah – Strong’s H5753 which means, ‘to twist, bend, distort, make crooked, pervert’. The first thing Dawiḏ mentions here in the dealings of יהוה with us who fear Him, is that He pardons our guilt and spares us from the punishment of our perversion and distortions of the truth – now that is something to praise and bless our Elohim for!!!

He not only pardons and forgives and spares us from punishment, He also heals our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, crowns us with kindness and compassion and satisfies our desire with the good and renews our strength!

Knowing this Truth should cause anyone who has found themselves walking in wrong ways or thinking wrong thoughts to return to forsake their own ways and thoughts and return to יהוה, seek Him while he may be find and call upon Him while He is near – and as we have discussed – this means returning to a proper obedience and submission to hearing, guarding and doing His Torah!!!

As we consider the words that we have looked at the questions that each of us ought ourselves is, ‘Am I seeking יהוה while he is to found?’, and ‘Am I calling on Him while He is near?’, and ‘Have I truly forsaken wrong ways and thoughts?’, and ‘Have I faithfully returned to יהוה?’

While these may seem like very straightforward questions that most would give a confident answer of ‘yes’ to, we must continually assess our lives to make sure that we do not find ourselves backsliding from יהוה. Seeking and calling upon יהוה while He is near and is to be found, carries with it the necessary need to guard His Word and therefore guard the Good Deposit of His Spirit within us. Yisra’ĕl often made the mistake of complacency when they assumed that having the presence of the Ark of Elohim gave them the right to do what every was right in their own eyes and were found to backslide away from the called for set-apartness that befits the House of יהוה and stopped seeking יהוה and stopped calling upon Him while He was to be found and was near, which caused His presence and esteem to depart. Dawiḏ understood the critical importance of seeking יהוה and on the day that the Ark of Elohim was returned he made it clear, through song, how important it was to be continually seeking the face of יהוה and His strength!

One can only truly SEEK יהוה and CALL on Him when a proper RETURN has taken place and all falsehood and selfishness has been forsaken!

We know that in Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 4 we are told that the Word of Elohim is living, and working, and sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through even to the dividing of being and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

A proper returning requires the proper submission to the authority of the Word of Elohim that judges the thoughts and intentions of one’s heart, and in the process the mirror of the Word can be the source of equipping one to properly return in order to truly seek and call as a set-apart servant of the Most High should.

In line with this clear call to seek – call – return, we are able to see a very similar call being given in:

Hoshěa/Hosea 14:1-2 “O Yisra’ĕl, return to יהוה your Elohim, for you have stumbled by your crookedness. 2 Take words with you, and return to יהוה. Say to Him, “Take away all crookedness, and accept what is good, and we render the bulls of our lips.”

The Hebrew word used here in Hoshěa/Hosea 14:2 for ‘bull’ is פַּר par – Strong’s H6499 which means, ‘bull, young bull, steer, heifer’, and in a metaphoric sense it speaks of us bringing our all and our best, offering up all we have, as we make our confession before Him who saves us and are equipped to proclaim His praise!

Bring the ‘Bull of our lips’ costs us! It costs us our all! It will cost us relationships, and will cost us customs and handed down traditions and inherited comforts of the flesh, yet it will bring about the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by the disciplining of the Word!

As we consider the pictographic rendering of the root word for ‘bull’ we are able to see how vital it is that we come before our Saviour with the confession of our crookednesses.

In the ancient pictographic script the Hebrew word פַּר par – Strong’s H6499 which means, ‘bull, young bull, steer, heifer’ looks like this:

Pey – פַּ:

This letter in the ancient script is pictured as , which is an ‘open mouth’ and carries the meaning of ‘speak and blow’, from the functions of the mouth, and can have the meaning of ‘scatter’ by blowing. It can also mean sword or beard, as in things with edges, as well as a region in depicting a place with edges or boundaries. It also can represent that which has been spoken forth from the words of one’s mouth, as being established!

Resh – ר:

The Ancient picture for this letter is , the head of a man. This letter has the meanings of ‘head’ or ‘man’ as well as ‘chief, top, beginning or first’.

In recognising how we are to render the ‘bull of our lips’, we can see from this word for ‘bull’ in the ancient Hebrew alphabet, in regards to the ‘bull of our lips’, the clear need for us to: ‘TAKE WORDS WITH US TO OUR HEAD AND SAVIOUR’, and confess our crookednesses before Him and let our words be followed up with the necessary actions that submit to the One we confess as Head and Master!

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for many, in their ongoing struggle to walk wholeheartedly in the Truth and guard the Torah, is in their inability to properly RETURN and render the bull of their lips. By that I mean that they are unable to acknowledge that their upbringing has been in error. When a proper rendering of the bull of one’s lips happens then יהוה can heal us of all our backsliding and cause our lips to be filled with the fruit of praise for our Head, as we begin to speak and do His Torah, with continual thanksgiving and praise!

Hoshěa/Hosea 14:3-4 teaches us that by the proper confession of our lips and resulting actions of set-apartness that come from seeking יהוה and His strength always, will result in יהוה becoming our Saviour!

Hoshěa/Hosea 14:3-4 “Ashshur does not save us. We do not ride on horses, nor ever again do we say to the work of our hands, ‘Our mighty ones.’ For the fatherless finds compassion in You.” 4 “I shall heal their backsliding, I shall love them spontaneously, for My displeasure has turned away from him.”

In declaring that Ashshur does not save us is an acknowledgment of the falsehood under which we had been brought up, and that false ways cannot save us, which amplifies the clear call to COME OUT AND BE SEPARATE!

Will you SEEK יהוה and His strength? Will you SEEK His face always? Will you CALL on Him and guard the Sabbaths and Appointed Times of our Elohim and Saviour? As the day of יהוה draws near we must recognise that the time to seek Him while He is to be found is NOW and the time to call upon Him while He is near is NOW, for the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.

Have you forsaken all wrong ways and wrong thoughts or do you find yourselves being led astray by the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, which are not of Elohim?

HAVE YOU TRULY HEARD THE COMMAND TO SEEK – CALL – RETURN?

יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face to and give you shalom!